


I Was Told To Live An Open-Ended Life

by Zoa



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, band au, non-wolf AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-09
Updated: 2014-10-26
Packaged: 2018-02-12 11:29:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2108166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoa/pseuds/Zoa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek starts work for John Stilinski's defense firm, and as a welcome-to-the-company thing, his boss takes him to a bar. The band is really good. Especially the drummer. </p>
<p>Inspired by this Tumblr post: http://danielsharman.co.vu/post/92670618747/sterek-au-now-derek-thinks-about-it-his-boss</p>
<p>Title of work excerpt from The Avett Brothers' song Open Ended Life</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The New Job

“And here we have your office,” the red-haired secretary stopped in front of a spacious room with a large window, desk in the center, and comfortable chairs. “Right next to the boss’. Good luck with that.” She grinned and Derek smiled back politely. He didn’t want to be rude, but her subliminal joke about his new employer didn’t amuse him. This was his first job since he retired from the Marines, and he wanted to make a good run of it, and that did not include being snide about the boss behind his back. Perhaps he was being too strict on himself, but Derek Hale was not one to take risks unnecessarily. “Well,” the secretary glanced at her wristwatch and back down the hall. “Mr. Stilinski should be done with his meeting in a few minutes. You can wait in his office until then.” She smiled again and walked away. Derek took a breath and after one more glance into his new office, he took the ten steps to his boss’ office and sat down in one of the luxurious leather chairs. Apparently, Stilinski Security Force Inc. was doing quite well, to afford such furniture and office space. Stilinski’s office was definitely bigger than Derek’s, the large window took up an entire wall, overlooking the Los Angeles city-scape. Pictures stood on the desk before Derek, but he wasn’t interested in snooping into his boss’ personal life. The only thing he cared about was making a good impression on his first day.

“Good to see you’re on time,” Stilinski remarked briskly, walking swiftly into the room and taking his seat behind the mahogany desk. His dark blue suit and carriage screamed Marine, as it had the first time Derek had met the man, over two weeks before. That was partly what had attracted Derek to the job in the first place, besides the obvious that his own military skills could be utilized. He felt a smile tug on the corner of his mouth and nodded at the brusque greeting.

“Yes, sir.” Derek replied. “I can assure you I will be on time every day.”

Stilinski grunted. “Good. Now, you know what your position here is? That’s been made clear?”

Derek nodded again. “Yes sir. I am to be your personal security. Go with you to locations, coordinate with government security, and oversee the security for this business.”

“Just wanted to be sure. Alright. Get to it.” Stilinski leaned back in his chair. “I have a trip planned to Colorado next week. All the information should already be on the computer in your office.” He suddenly smiled warmly. “I’m really glad to have you on my team.”

Derek looked at Stilinski in surprise and at first could only nod. “Thank you, sir,” he murmured, standing up. He slowly made his way from the room and back to his own office.

He felt good about this job, about his new boss, about the direction his life was going, for the first time since he left the military.

 

* * *

 

 

Five hours, and plenty of work later, John Stilinski suddenly popped into Derek’s office, coat hanging over his right arm, tie loosened.

“Time to go eat,” he said cheerfully. Derek, his own appearance disheveled, looked up in surprise.

“Sir?”

“Time to eat! I’m treating you to dinner tonight.”

Derek looked around his office awkwardly. He hadn’t been expecting his new employer to be so friendly. “Uh, thank you, sir, but that’s really not necessary…”

“Derek.” Stilinski looked at him sternly. “You’re coming with me. No arguments.”

“Y-yes sir.” Derek immediately stood up and grabbed his coat, a bit flustered.

Stilinski laughed. “You should relax a little. It’s not all work here. Sometimes, even I have a drink to wind down.”

“Yes sir.”

Derek’s new boss sighed. “We’ll work on it…”

 

* * *

 

John Stilinksi took his new employee to a bar/restaurant near the office, which was built to accommodate the defense firm’s people, along with the military personnel from the air force base two miles away. Derek felt comfortable inside, though the music was a little loud for his personal tastes, though his new employer seemed to be enjoying it. They found a table in view of the stage, at the insistence of his boss.

“The next band is really good. I come by every Tuesday to hear them play,” Stilinski said, smiling. Derek smiled politely in return, doubting in his own mind that a band that played Tuesday nights at a local bar could be _that_ good. “There they are!” Derek turned to watch the new band walk on stage. They were all young, about five years younger than Derek. The leader was a happy-faced, dark haired boy with dark eyes. He took up the lead guitarist position, while a raven-haired Asian girl shyly took her place at an electronic piano. The next two members, another girl and a tall boy, took the microphone and bass guitar, respectively. A fifth member came up behind them, looking suave for the first two seconds before tripping on the stairs. Derek bit back a smile as the guy bounced back up as if nothing had happened. At least he was resilient. This boy sat down at the drums and twirled the sticks expertly through his fingers.

When they started to play, Derek was pleasantly surprised to find they actually were a good band. The singer had a lovely voice and the other members of the band accompanied her well. Derek found himself focused on the drummer, though. He was a bit wild and dorky as he played, but he kept the beat up and the others in line very well. He was also, as the lights played across the stage and fell on his face, kind of hot.

After they were done and took their bows, Stilinski turned to Derek. “You’re smiling. I take it you think this is a good band?”

Derek, a bit loosened by the drink he’d had, replied: “I was more focused on how hot the drummer is.”

Stilinski’s face suddenly went stone cold. “That’s my son, jackass.”


	2. 'You Bumped into Me'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek and Stiles meet... or, rather, collide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for all the kudos and the lovely comments! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!

To say that the ride back to the office was awkward would be an understatement. Derek sat in silent shock and embarrassment while John Stilinski drove, the man’s jaw locked in irritation. The end wasn’t much better. Derek did his best to make up for his earlier mistake by being polite and stiff.

“Hale.” Stilinski spoke sharply. “I don’t care what your preferences are. But that’s my son. Don’t make any stupid moves.” He met Derek’s eyes to ensure that the other man understood. Derek nodded slowly, getting the feeling that Stilinski didn’t really mind if Derek found his son attractive. Almost as if his boss was saying okay if Derek pursued him, _just make sure you don’t hurt him._

“Yes, sir. Goodnight sir. And thank you again for taking me out.”

“You’re welcome, Hale. See you tomorrow.” With that, Derek’s new boss drove away, leaving Derek alone in the parking lot of the Stilinski office. He made his way to his own car - a beat up SUV that had seen better days in the junkyard it had come from - and hoped that the next work day wouldn’t deliver any more awkwardness.

 

* * *

 

The next morning was a gratefully busy time. A new client with a lot of requirements kept both Derek and Stilinski on their toes until lunch hour, when the woman left and they were able to catch their breath. Derek made his way out of his boss’ office toward the elevator, starving for something with meat, and incredibly thirsty. He was also walking with the red-headed secretary, Lydia, whom he’d found to be really competent and invaluable in the two days he’d worked at the company. She was showing him exactly what the boss had meant when he ordered Derek to ‘get a guy who doesn’t look like he survived a Russian winter’, when he bumped into someone walking the opposite direction.

“Watch where you’re going!” Derek snapped, stopping short. The other man had stumbled back a few steps, his scrawny form no match for Derek’s wide chest.

“Hey, you were the one who couldn’t keep his eyes off the iPad.” The bumpee retorted, straightening his shirt out, having to adjust his bag’s strap in order to so. He looked up and Derek’s stomach did a nervous flip. It was his boss’ son.

_Uh oh._

“Yeah, sorry.” Derek muttered. “Lydia, could you please bring all of this into my office?”

“Sure,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Hey, Stiles.” She greeted the boy with a little wave and walked off. Derek only then realized he was relatively alone with his boss’ son, Stiles apparently, and shifted uncomfortably.

“Sooo,” Stiles grinned. “New here?”

Derek nodded sharply.

“Cool. I’m Stiles.” He held his hand out, and Derek took it firmly. They shook and Stiles grinned again. “My dad mentioned that he was getting a new head of security. Did you liked the performance last night?”

“Derek Hale, and how did you..?”

“My dad brings all the new guys to my band’s nights.” Stiles shrugged. “I guess it’s because he likes to show me off. Either that or he really likes the pretzels. So, did you?”

Derek looked confused. Stiles’ smile kept distracting him. “Did I what?”

“Did you like the music?” the other prompted, grinning that absurdly attractive way again.

“Oh, yeah. Yeah, you were good.” Derek nodded. “Really good. I was surprised, actually.”

Stiles raised an eyebrow. “What? Like you were expecting some stupid garage band with an octopus’ talent for song?”

“A what?” Derek couldn’t help but smile a little at the analogy.

“An octopus. Although, I suppose that’s the wrong animal to use… octopus probably have awesome musical talent, what with having eight legs. You should smile more often. It’s nice.”

This caught Derek off-guard. “T-thanks?”

“You’re welcome?”

“What’s with the question?” Derek frowned.

“I don’t know? I thought that was something we were doing?” Stiles replied, lifting his shoulders. “Is that wrong?”

Derek stared at Stiles for a few seconds before breaking into a genuine smile. “You’re a little shit, aren’t you?”

“Yes?” Stiles laughed, keeping up his game. “But I’m lovable?”

“Maybe.” Derek smirked.

Stiles’ mouth dropped open. “Maybe! Maybe! I will have you know, mister new-guy that everyone – _everyone_ – here finds me lovable. No question.”

“Maybe I’ll be the one to break the pattern,” Derek suggested innocently, though considering how much he wanted to keep talking with Stiles, and do other things with him, that was an outright impossibility.

Stiles looked at Derek incredulously. “Nah. You’ll love me too.” He said after a moment, and grinned again. “Everyone does eventually.”

“I don’t see why,” Derek said sullenly, wishing Stiles was wrong. “You’re an egotistic bastard.”

“But,” Stiles held up his finger. “I excel at it brilliantly. Between you and me,” he leaned forward, quite close to Derek (making his heart leap), and whispered conspiratorially. “It’s an act. Don’t tell anyone! They would never forgive me!”

Derek shook his head. “If it is an act, then I have to admit, you deserve an Academy Award.”

“Thank you!” Stiles bowed. “I’ll settle for a sandwich though.”

“Huh?”

“A sandwich. You’re getting lunch, right? You can buy me a sandwich.” He smiled smugly. “You knocked me down, after all.”

Derek tilted his head slightly and smiled back. “As memory serves, you bumped into me.”

“Ah,” Stiles waves his hands dismissively. “Memory is a fickle thing.”

“No argument there.” Derek began to walk again, striding past Stiles, toward the elevator. He stopped a few feet from it and looked back, noticing that Stiles wasn’t following. “I thought you said you wanted a sandwich.” Stiles grinned and jogged forward to catch up, and draped his arm over Derek’s shoulders as they waited for the elevator to reach their floor.

“Now you’re speaking my language!”

“I’ve always spoken English...”

“Shhh, child. Just... enjoy the wait.”

 

* * *

 

The lunch went so well that Derek, for the first time on a date ever (for date it was), never wanted it to end. It seemed that Stiles felt the same way, because he not inconspicuously kept hiding his phone so that neither of the men could see the time. However, Derek was still needed by John Stilinski, and was reminded of that when his phone buzzed three times. He looked down and groaned. It had been two hours. A full half hour past his given lunch time.

“That my dad?” Stiles asked, and sucked the last of his soda through his straw. Derek nodded. “Yeah, he’s got the worst timing. Super supportive! But the worst timing.”

“He’s a good man,” Derek smiled. “I’m really lucky to be working for him.”

Stiles laughed. “Wow. Do we know the same guy? Because my dad can be a hard-ass sometimes.”

“Yeah,” Derek nodded and chuckled. “But he’s a nice hard-ass.”

Stiles let out a long breath and leaned back in his seat. “Well, I’m glad you like him. Makes my job easier.”

Derek raised an eyebrow. “Your job?”

“Yeah. The fact you like him, and he likes you, makes it much easier for me to date you. You’ve already been introduced!” He grinned again and raised his arms in a score sign.

“Has he told me he likes... wait, date me?” Derek looked with wide eyes at Stiles. “You mean, beyond today?”

“No. Tomorrow too, but infinity... ah, I’ll think about it. Yes, beyond today.” Stiles rolled his eyes. “I like you, Derek, and I get the feeling you like me, or did I misinterpret when you checked out my biceps?”

Derek actually felt his cheeks go red, and was thankful for the beard on his face, which hid some of the blush. “I like you too, Stiles. But I’m not sure how appropriate it would be considering I work for your father.”

“He’ll get over it.”

“It’s not very ethical.”

“Neither am I. Wait. That’s bad. I am ethical. Never mind.”

Derek laughed. “I think I understand what you mean. But I do value my job. It’s the first steady one I’ve had since I left the Marines.”

“My dad’s not going to fire you for dating me,” Stiles assured him. “He’s not that petty. Matter of fact, he’s been pushing me to get a girlfriend for a while now.”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not a woman.”

“OH MY HOLY COW. YOU’VE LIED TO ME?”

“Stiles!” Derek started to laugh again, the man’s face the most ridiculous he’d ever seen. “There are other people here.”

“Oh, right, well then let me be more polite in my righteous anger at you for telling me the worst lie in the universe.” Stiles crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. “I trusted you Derek. Wait, are now going to tell me ‘Derek’ isn’t a girl’s name?”

“’Fraid not.”

Stiles dropped his hands and shoulders in exasperation. “I’m done. I can’t do this. What’s your phone number?”

“You’re not a fan of segues are you?” Derek said, pulling his number up on his phone.

“What? I love those things! Being able to ride around upright like that would be the best thing ever.” Stiles retorted, putting Derek’s number in his cell.

“That’s a Segway.”

“That’s what I said.”

“You’re impossible.”

“Impossibly awesome.”

“Maybe.”

“Again with the maybe? Gosh, dude. Learn definitive terms. You’ll live longer.” Stiles nodded sagely.

“I’m pretty sure that’s not a requirement for long life,” Derek said doubtfully, and stood. As he did he pulled his wallet out to pay for the lunch.

“Hey, I’ll get it,” Stiles put his hand over Derek’s. “I did invite you, after all. It’s only fair.”

“How about, seeing as how it’s the first date, we split the check?” Derek suggested. “I wouldn’t feel right otherwise.”

Stiles considered the prospect for a moment and then smiled slyly. “Only if you promise to come to the bar tonight for a drink.”

Derek pretended to take time to think. “Okay,” he said slowly. “Deal.” They shook on it, their hands lingering in the other’s a bit longer than necessary.

“Okay. I guess we should go...”

“Yeah.” Derek nodded and they finally released hands.

For a man who hadn’t ever really felt the need for a steady companion, Derek was experiencing the oddest sensation of loss when Stiles’ hand left his, and even more when Stiles and he parted at the Stilinski office building. To say that Derek was looking forward to that night was an understatement. He was downright excited.


	3. Meet the Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek meets Stiles at the bar and is introduced to his bandmates/friends, Scott, Kira, Allison, and Isaac.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update! Yay! Once again, thanks for all the kudos, comments, and bookmarks!  
> I really hope everyone enjoys this chapter! I think you'll definitely like the ending. ;)

Derek impatiently watched the digital wall clock as it neared closing time at Stilinski Inc. 5:35... 5:36... 5:37... On and on it went, the numbers moving in a torturously manner toward six o’clock. He nearly growled under his breath, swearing that five-thirty-eight came a full _two_ minutes after five-thirty-seven. He glared at the clock, threatening it with his mind to hurry up so he could leave and meet Stiles at the bar his band was playing at that night.

“My, you look focused. I see it’s not on your work, though,” Lydia Martin, Stilinski’s personal assistant, spoke up from the doorway of Derek’s office, causing Derek to jump a little in surprise. He cleared his throat self-consciously and moved a few papers around on his desk, and adjusted his chair to a more comfortable height.

“I was working,” he said, wincing in his mind at how defensive his tone sounded. Lydia raised an eyebrow and gave him a knowing smile.

“Right. And I like to fish.”

Derek frowned in confusion and Lydia sighed. “I hate fishing.” She informed him shortly. “My father took my too many time when I was a little girl, I guess. Whatever. Just leave already. It’s only twenty minutes to when you’re off anyway. I’ll explain to the boss.”

“Really?” Derek was already halfway out of his chair when he stopped and looked at her seriously. “You don’t think he’ll be upset? I am going to see his son in a less-than-platonic situation...”

Lydia rolled her eyes. “Of course he’ll be a little upset. He’s a parent. But he can just get over it.” She smirked. “You go show Stiles a good time.”

Derek grinned and practically jumped around his desk to get to the door. “Thanks, Lydia,” he said. “I owe you one.” 

“That’s the idea,” she replied, and he couldn’t tell if she was teasing him or not.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, anyway,” he said slowly and grinned as he walked out. He didn’t understand the woman sometimes, but he liked to consider her a friend, and her offer to cover for him proved that she thought the same of him. Derek had never known people he could truly call friends outside of the members of his squad when he was in the military. It was nice to know he could make meaningful relationships outside of his past. One of which he intended to be more than just a friendship.

Stiles was the first person, male or female, he’d been seriously interested in since before his time in the Marines. He wasn’t going to waste this new opportunity.

 

* * *

 

In the back room of the bar (which couldn’t honestly be called a ‘green room’ for being nothing more than a large closet) where any performers hung out before their time on stage, Stiles and his bandmates were trying to prepare for their moment. Well, the other four were. Stiles was looking outside, anxiously watching the front room of the building.

“Stiles!” Isaac called. “Stiiiiilleeesss. Come on. We need you to focus.” Stiles didn’t seem to hear him, which wasn’t really unusual, as the tall boy and Stiles very rarely had anything more than a civil relationship. It wasn’t until Scott, Stiles’ best friend, put a hand on his shoulder that Stiles finally turned to the rest of the room.

“What are you looking for?” Scott asked, smiling. He never seemed to stop smiling, which at the moment irked Stiles.

“I think it’s ‘who’, Scott,” Allison Argent, the voice of their group, said, and gave a knowing smile to Stiles. Scott’s eyebrows went up and his smile grew when he saw the confirmation written all over Stiles’ now blushing face.

“Oh yeah? Who is it? You gotta tell us, man!”

“It’s nothing!” Stiles insisted. “He’s nothing!”

“He? Oh, now you have to spill!” Scott exclaimed. “Who he is? Is out there?” Scott pushed past Stiles to peer outside, trying to see if he could spot Stiles’ new love interest.

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Dude, you don’t even know what he looks like.”

Scott pulled himself back inside the room. “Then tell us.” He said.

“Fine,” Stiles took a breath. “His name is Derek Hale, and he works for my dad.”

“What does he do?” Kira, the band’s electronic pianist and second bassist, asked. “I mean, in the company?”

“He’s my dad’s new head of security for contracts. Used to be in the Marines.”

“What’s he look like?” Allison asked eagerly, earning a raised brow from Isaac; the two were an unofficial couple.

“I don’t know!” Stiles exclaimed, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. “He’s... a guy...”

“Oh, my gosh. Leave it to a boy to not know how to describe someone they like.” Kira teased. Stiles glared at her.

“That’s sexist.” He muttered.

“Actually, it is kind of you...” Scott said sheepishly, and smiled again.

“Not helping, dude.” Stiles stated. “Not helping.” He looked outside again and suddenly his face brightened, quite obviously to the rest of the group. They all crowded the door, wanting to see who had managed to change Stiles’ mood for the better.

“Which guy is he?” Kira exclaimed.

“The blond one?” Isaac suggested.

“No, it’s the dark one!” Allison corrected. “Obviously a Marine.” She would know. Her own father was in the military.

“Oooh, he is hot.” Kira whispered, and before Scott could protest, turned and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. “Just an observation.”

“You two are disgusting.” Stiles said. “Now would you all get out of the way so I can go say hi?”

“Can we come?” Scott asked. “We want to meet him.”

“No! Not yet. Gosh. You think the dude can handle all four of you at once?” Stiles shook his head.

“He was a Marine,” Isaac pointed out. “I think it’s probable.”

“Just shut up,” Stiles begged and squeezed past his friends. He strode down the short hall to get to the bar and slid onto the stool beside Derek’s. “Hey.”

Derek turned and smiled. _Gosh, that smile was amazing_. “Hey.” He replied. “I know I’m a little early...”

“No, it’s good. You can taste all the beer peanuts you want.” Stiles nodded to the glass bowl to the right of Derek. “They’re pretty tasty, actually.”

“Are they?” Derek looked suspiciously at the bowl. “They look off to me.”

“You can tell if a peanut is off by looking at it? Dude, hardcore.” Stiles teased. “I need to take you everywhere I go.”

Derek snorted and shook his head. “You are so weird. I don’t know why I like you.”

“AH, but you do, in fact, like me.” Stiles grinned.

“Hey!” Scott suddenly popped up opposite of Derek. “I’m Scott McCall, Stiles’ best friend. Nice to meet you Derek.” He smiled and held out his hand. Derek shook it slowly, glancing at Stiles. Stiles didn’t know what his face looked like, but what he was feeling was something between annoyance, rage, and embarrassment.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Scott.” Derek replied. “You’re one of the band members, right?”

“Yeah! The lead guitarist.” Scott nodded and motioned behind Stiles, who looked back and almost banged his head against the bar out of exasperation. “And that’s Kira, pianist slash second bassist (and my awesome girlfriend), Isaac, our lead bassist, and Allison, the vocalist. Along with Stiles, We’re The Wolf Pack.” Scott finished with a proud grin.

“The Wolf Pack?” Derek once again looked at Stiles, but this time with a smile. “That’s the name of your band?”

Stiles looked away, feeling slightly foolish. It was a name he had come up with out of the blue one day a few years back, as the five of them had been sitting in Scott’s garage, trying to come up with a band name. For some reason, it had stuck. “Yeah,” he murmured, his face feeling hot.

“I like it.” Derek said. “It’s cool.” Stiles looked up and responded to Derek’s smile with one of his own. Most of the time, whenever people heard the name, they laughed; but Derek seemed to genuinely like it.

“Thanks.”

“It’s almost time for us to go on,” Isaac informed the group. “We’ve only got five minutes.” Stiles had thought about throttling Isaac for always being the practical one before, but especially now he would have liked to knock him out.

“Well, I’m excited,” Derek said, and stood up, immediately followed by a less-than-graceful Stiles. “All possible bias aside, you guys really do have great music.”

“You really think so?” Kira smiled. “Thank you! We’ve worked really hard.”

“I think it shows,” Derek assured her. He looked at Stiles. “I’m going to move closer, so I can see you guys better.” He smiled again and Stiles felt his heart flip in his chest.

“Okay, yeah.” _Really. Okay, yeah? Nice one Stiles._ Derek didn’t seem to mind the brief acknowledgement, though, because he nodded and moved toward a table. Stiles made to follow, but Scott put a hand on his shoulder.

“Kind of need you on stage, buddy.”

“Oh, right... I’m the drummer.” Stiles frowned.

“Yeah,” Scott said slowly, and laughed. “Man, you really are smitten.”

That woke Stiles up from his haze. “Smitten? Smitten? Where did you hear that? Grandma’s Dictionary of Outdated Terms?”

“Shut up. You are. You can’t stop looking over there. And he can’t seem to stop looking at you either.” Scott retorted. “I’d say you two are the definition of smitten.”

“I still think it’s a stupid word,” Stiles muttered.

“Too bad. Because you are.”

“You’re a jerk.”

“Maybe, but for sure we’re going to be late on stage! Get moving!” Scott pushed Stiles toward the entrance to the stage.

Stiles stumbled forward and very much hoped Derek hadn’t seen. “Fine! Fine!” He straightened up with a bounce. “Look, I’m on my way!”

“Go faster,” Isaac said, striding past the other boys. “Because at this rate, we’ll never get into Battle of the Bands.”

“Is that all you care about?” Stiles asked grumpily, even though it was a dream the entire band shared. Getting into the competition, and then winning the contract and fifty thousand dollars would skyrocket their careers.

Isaac sighed. “I’m just going to pretend I didn’t hear you say that.”

By that time they had reached the stage and had to hurry to get into their respective positions. Stiles, from his seat behind the drum’s looked for Derek in the crowd. He could see the man was looking right back at him, his hazel eyes piercing right to Stiles. To say that wasn’t somewhat of a thrill would be a lie. It was better than the adrenaline rush performing gave him, giving him more energy for the start, and lasting all the way through. Because between songs, he would out into the crowd, and always find Derek looking right at him, smiling. At the end of their set, the entire band trooped down and joined Derek at his table, finishing the night with drinks and funny stories about past performances. Stiles had to admit that even though he hadn’t been quite ready to introduce his friends to Derek, everything had working out pretty well.

Almost every night after that, Derek appeared at wherever The Wolf Pack was performing to lend his support. For three weeks straight. In that short amount of time, because of his unwavering support, he became fast friends with the other members, and even closer to the drummer, though they hadn’t gone on a real date since their lunch. In an effort to remedy that, Stiles suggested one night that he and Derek go somewhere else after the band’s performance.

“You’re sure the Pack won’t mind?” Derek asked.

“Nah, they’ll be fine. They’ve got each other.” Stiles had replied. Indeed they didn’t mind at all, and Stiles and Derek happily found themselves alone at their favorite sandwich shop.

“I was hoping this would happen.” Derek admitted. “But between work and your band’s schedules, it didn’t seem to fit anywhere.”

“Yeah, sorry,” Stiles said, scrunching his nose up. “We’re trying to qualify for Battle of the Bands, and we’ve been using these performances as practice and advertisement.”

Derek looked at him quizzically. “Battle of the Bands?”

“Yeah. It’s a national competition of bands. Bands in every state compete to be that state’s representative, and the final fifty go to L.A. for the finale. The winner gets a record contract and fifty thousand dollars. And we’re going to win,” Stiles nodded confidently. Derek pursed his lips thoughtfully.

“The odds are against you, though,” he said bluntly. “It’s highly improbable you’ll even make it past the final state round.”

“Thanks so much for the confidence vote,” Stiles replied sourly.

“I’m a realist. I want you to be prepared for disappointment.” Derek said defensively. “I said improbably, I didn’t mean impossible. You know I’ll support you.”

Stiles looked down, abashed. “Yeah, I know. Sorry. It’s just... this is the first time the Pack has attempted to do the Battle, so it’s a sensitive subject.”

“I get it,” Derek said quietly. “I’m sorry for seeming so pessimistic.” 

“Yeah, well, you were downright fatalistic.” Stiles sniffed. “Next thing I know you’ll be saying things like ‘there is no hope’ or ‘YOLO’. Please, never say that. It’s a deal-breaker.”

“Noted.” Derek said, amused. “But what does it mean?”

“Y- you don’t know what it means?” Stiles looked at Derek mouth agape, truly shocked. “You’re an innocent? Never mind! Forget I said anything!” He grinned. “I can’t believe this. You really don’t know what YOLO means?”

Derek shook his head and smiled slightly. “Nope. I don’t. I guess I’m not really caught up with the times.”

“And you don’t need to be. Because honestly, it’s not worth it,” Stiles nodded. “Not. Worth. It.”

Derek shrugged. “I don’t know about that, but I promise to stay away from... whatever it was you said.”

“Good, good. You might have to lock yourself away for a few years, though.” Stiles said thoughtfully.

“As long as you promise to visit and bring food and water,” Derek laughed.

“I swear I’ll do all I can to keep you alive,” Stiles replied solemnly. “What would I do without that grumpy face?”

“I don’t have a grumpy face.” Derek said, and made the exact expression Stiles had mentioned, which made Stiles laugh.

“Yeah, you do, but I like it.” Then he reached over lightly bumped Derek’s nose with his forefinger in a motion of affection.

“What kind of person likes a grump?” Derek said sullenly, his face completely red. _He just ‘booped’ my nose._

“This kind of person.” Stiles pointed at himself. “I surround myself with grumps purposely. Someone has to love them!”

“Scott isn’t a grump...” Derek reminded him.

“Scott is a reincarnated sunflower. I can’t help that.” Stiles shook his head. “Besides, I never said I surrounded myself _solely_ with grumpy people.”

“Ah, I see. You’re selective.”

“Exactly.” Stiles nodded, pleased. “I have to be.”

“Then,” Derek raised his soda in a salute to Stiles. “I’m honored to be among those few.”

Stiles raised his own empty glass. “You should be.”

After they had finished with their midnight meal, Derek drove the two of them back to the bar, where Stiles’ had left his Jeep. The place was slowly winding down, the early morning hours finally driving patrons home. Derek got out of his truck and joined Stiles at the door to his Jeep.

“I’m going with your dad to New York tomorrow for a week,” he said, glancing at the ground briefly. “I’m sure he’s already told you about the trip. Some senator wants a private consultation.”

“Yeah, he mentioned it. Didn’t say you were going, though.” Stiles snorted. “Guess you’ll miss The Wolf Pack’s first audition for Battle of the Bands, then.”

“Yeah,” Derek frowned. “Guess I will. Sorry, but pretty sure if I didn’t go your dad would fire me and I’d end up homeless.” He added wryly.

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Why not become a bum like me and live off the land? It’s a lot of fun.” He winked, causing Derek to laugh.

“I’m afraid I have too much respect for myself for that.” He replied teasingly. “Besides, you’re not a bum. I know you and Scott work part time.”

“Who told you that?”

“Scott.”

Stiles groaned. “Of coursed he did. It’s like he feels I can’t have any secrets. I can’t be the mysterious drummer in the awesome band! No, we’ve got to be completely transparent! I’m going to have to talk to him about confidentiality before the Battle...”

Derek shook his head, completely lost again to ramblings of Stiles Stilinski. “I’ll see you, Stiles,” he said and turned to go back to his car. He felt a tentatively light touch on his shoulder and glanced back at Stiles, who had gone decidedly pink. “What?”

“I, uh... we’re not going to see each other for a week...”

“Yeah...”

“I was just thinking, since we’re not going to see each other for a while... ah, forget it.” He coughed and shook his head. “Doesn’t matter.”

Derek got the distinct feeling it did, but wasn’t sure what it was Stiles wanted. “Okay,” he said slowly. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah... no...”

“Stiles, spill.” Derek insisted in exasperation.

At that, Stiles face went resolute and he leaned forward and gave Derek a solid kiss on his lips. He caught Derek by surprise, but not unpleasantly so, certainly. After a moment Derek returned the kiss and pulled Stiles closer. They broke apart after a minute spent in a very un-platonic manner and Stiles smirked.

“I knew it.”

Derek frowned. “Knew what?”

“You took a mint after dinner. You expected this!” Stiles looked very pleased with himself.

“Way to go, Stiles. You got me. I wanted to kiss you. But you moved first.” Derek said, a pleased smile on his own face. “So who really wanted to kiss who?”

“Whom,” Stiles corrected.

“I don’t give a damn.”

“You should. Grammar is important.”

“Stiles!”

“Goodnight.” Stiles grinned and opened his Jeep’s door and clambered behind the wheel.

Derek watched in what had to be loving irritation, if that were possible. “Sometimes, Stiles, you’re the most impossible person to deal with.”

“Yeah,” Stiles shut the Jeep’s door and smiled whimsically. “But you can’t help but like me.”

“Maybe.”

“Again with the maybe! Come on, man!”

“Night, Stiles,” it was Derek’s turn to smirk and stepped away from the Jeep. Stiles gave a loud sigh and turned the car on. Before he back out, though, he looked at Derek.

“Text me when you land in New York.”

Derek smiled and nodded. “Will do.” And then Stiles, the whole while smiling, drove out of the bar’s parking lot. Derek turned to his own car with a light step and a wide smile. He couldn’t remember a time he was happier. Stiles and his relationship was definitely moving forward, in a very good way.


	4. The First Battle

“OUR AUDITION IS IN HOW MANY DAYS?” Stiles gaped at Scott, who was grinning like an idiot.

“Two days. It’s awesome!”

“It is not awesome!” Stiles claimed in exasperation. “We have barely any time to rehearse!”

“Oh, come on man,” Scott laughed. “We’re going to do great. We’ve been practicing plenty for our other gigs.”

“But this is Battle of the freakin’ Bands, Scott,” Stiles replied. “It’s not just some bar downtown. There will be scouts! Producers!”

Scott gave his friend a pitying look. “It’s going to be fine, Stiles. You’re worrying too much.”

“Am I really the only one concerned with the short time frame?” Stiles held his hands up and looked around Scott’s garage, glancing at his other bandmates. Allison and Isaac looked at each other and then nodded.

“Yes,” they said in unison.

“I’m a little nervous,” Kira admitted softly.

“See!” Stiles exclaimed. “I’m not the only one who thinks this is ridiculous!”

“She said she was nervous, not that it was ridiculous,” Scott said, and crossed his arms. “We’re all nervous.”

“We should be! Two days is no time for anything!” Stiles paced around the shabby furniture that Scott and he had taken from various trash piles in Beacon Hills (which was totally okay... they thought). He could feel a panic attack coming on. Scott quickly moved forward and gripped his friend’s shoulders.

“Stiles, calm down. Breathe. It. Will. Be. Fine.”

Stiles took a deep breath through his nose and let it out slowly through his mouth. Scott’s mom had taught him that technique when Stiles had first started to experience panic attacks after his mother had died. She and Scott had been invaluable during that difficult time.

“Okay,” Stiles sighed and collapsed on the couch next to Kira. “Okay. We can do this.” He rubbed his face and let his head fall back, his eyes focused on the stained garage ceiling. “We can do this, right?”

Scott sat down on Kira’s left. “Yeah, man,” he grinned. “We can totally do this.”

 

 

* * *

 

                                                      

Derek got the call just before he was to follow Mr. Stilinksi into another meeting with their government client. He felt his phone vibrate and glanced down at the ID. His head jerked back up and he made his excuses so fast he felt sure the client thought he had a family emergency. It seemed his boss knew better, though, because Mr. Stilinski gave a brief nod to Derek, which was all the permission the man needed to leave. He stepped out into the hall of the (non-disclosed) government building they were in, and found a private place to answer his phone.

“Hey, Stiles,” he greeted, unable to help the grin appearing on his face.

“Greetings, Grumpy Cat,” came the reply. “I got major news.”

“Grumpy Cat? Really?” Derek rolled his eyes. “Find a better nickname or we’re no longer a thing.”

“Fine, fine. Grumpy Wolf then.”

“That’s even worse!”

“I thought it was better. And Scott and Allison agree with me, don’t you?” Derek could hear muffled voices in the background answer and smiled smugly when he heard Allison reply ‘no’. “Whatever. Do you want to hear the news or not?” Stiles voice came back, sounding miffed.

“Yeah, of course I do. What is it?”

“WE MADE IT INTO BATTLE OF THE BANDS!” Scott’s voice shouted into Derek’s ear, so loudly he had to pull the phone away and shrug apologetically at a couple of people passing by.

“That’s amazing, but not so loud. I nearly went deaf.” Derek grumbled. “When did this happen?” He heard a brief struggle (probably Stiles wrestling the phone back from Scott) before the answer came.

“A couple days ago we auditioned for the local battle,” Stiles sounded slightly out of breath, which made Derek smile. The boy was notoriously out of shape. “And we just found out today that we’re in the first round! Thought I’d call and share the news, but SOMEONE,” Derek could imagine Stiles glaring sharply at Scott. “Had to go and ruin it.”

“It’s alright,” Derek said. “I prefer that to one of your attempts at being funny.”

“Ouch. Fine. I’ll get Scott to shout in your ear every time something happens.” Stiles retorted.

Derek sighed. “You’re a child sometimes, you know that?”

“I keep you young.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know what you meant. I made it better.”

“If by better you mean made me feel old, then excellent job.”

“I succeed at everything I do.” Stiles said, not a small amount of pride in his voice. “Caught you, didn’t I?”

Derek cleared his throat and felt his ears grow hot. He wished Stiles weren’t so free in that acknowledgement around his friends, or in public. Derek preferred things more private than Stiles did, it was just who he was. But Stiles was the opposite, so he had to be more patient and understanding, which was probably a good thing. “Well, you know, I was kind of important in all that.” He mumbled, crossing his arms and turning toward the wall.

“I asked you to dinner. If I hadn’t, do you think we’d be anywhere right now?”

“I...” Derek grimaced. “Okay, fine. Probably not.” He glanced down at his watch and made a startled sound. “I have to go, Stiles. I’m supposed to be in a meeting with your dad.”

“Asking for my hand in marriage?”

“WHAT? No!” Derek exclaimed, his entire face red. “Contract meeting!” He could hear Stiles laughing and wished he was back home just so he could hit him (and kiss him. _Gosh, I miss him_ ). “Shut up.”

“Yeah... Derek. I miss you.” Stiles voice had gone quiet, sincere and Derek smiled.

“I miss you, too.” He murmured. “We’ll be home soon. Hopefully before your first Battle of the Bands performance.”

“Hope so.”

“See you.”

“See you.”

 

* * *

 

The day of the first battle arrived but Derek and Stiles’ father were still away. The disappointment was palpable, but Stiles and the others understood. The battle was to take place in the local theatre, a place all the locals knew well, and which The Wolf Pack had played multiple times. It was familiar, they knew the acoustics and the layout, which made them more comfortable and confident. That was all fine and good, except the rival band, House of Winter, was also local and knew the theatre well. The Wolf Pack didn’t know before that night who they were battling, but they had heard House of Winter before. They were good. This battle was going to be interesting.

Backstage the Pack prepared for their big debut with a quick, silent rehearsal, each member going about their individual parts separately. Scott was practically bouncing up and down in excitement, Kira was chewing her lip nervous as she tapped out her chords, Isaac was staring with wide eyes at the crowd he saw gathering through the curtains, Allison was somehow calm, composed and absolutely terrified at the same time, and Stiles was in the midst of pretending he wasn’t about to have a panic attack. He loved playing, he loved the band, he loved everything about what they did, but this was a huge deal. If they made it past this first round, that could mean everything for each of their careers in the music industry.

So much was riding on this night and Derek wasn’t even there.

He sighed and leaned against a nearby wall, and tried to keep his over-excited heart from beating too loudly. The audition hadn’t even caused him to worry this much. He looked at the band and wondered if they were as nervous as he was. He could read Scott’s face easily, and obviously Isaac was nervous because for the first time in a while he wasn’t trying to look cool with a scarf and loose shirt. The girls were talking quietly together, and he could see that Allison comforting Kira. This was Kira’s first big performance, too. She was a recent addition to the band and while she had been performing with them in the local dives and bars, it was in front of half-drunk people late at night. Stiles had to take deep breaths as he thought about all of this, and as he applied it to himself, the risk of a panic attack growing greater.

“Oh, crap.” He muttered.

“What’s crap?” A deep, kind of irritated voice sounded behind Stiles. “I thought this was a good thing.”

“Derek! You made it!” Stiles grinned, his panicky thoughts and feelings completely forgotten. “You lied to me!” He frowned. “You’re a good liar. I’m going to have to watch you.”

“I wasn’t lying.” Derek explained. “I really did think we weren’t going to make it. Only, your dad said I could come home early.” He smiled sheepishly. “So I came.”

“I’m really glad you did,” Stiles said with a nod. “I, uh, I was a bit anxious just a minute ago.”

Derek frowned and briefly touched Stiles shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Stiles smiled. “I am now.”

“Stiles!” Scott came trotting up. “Oh! Hi Derek! Didn’t know you were coming. It’s good to see you.” Derek nodded and would have replied but Scott didn’t even take a breath. “Stiles, it’s time to go on!”

Stiles let out a breath and nodded. “Right. Let’s win this.” He looked at Derek, who gave him a brief smile, nodded, and grinned. “See ya afterwards, Wolf.”

Derek groaned in frustration. “Come on.”

Stiles laughed and bounced away with his band. Derek sighed and left to join the audience, secretly pleased with Stiles’ happy reaction to his appearance. He managed to find a seat near the stage, on the side where The Wolf Pack was placed. He could see the band members clearly from his seat, and each one looked a mixture of nervous and excited, which he supposed was to be expected. The other band, looking slightly younger than The Wolf Pack, carried themselves with an unbecoming arrogance. Derek felt distinctly that if he were to meet them personally, he would definitely hate them. As he was thinking this, a man in a white suit came onto the stage with a microphone and stood between the two bands.

“IS EVERYONE READY FOR THE GREATEST BATTLE IN THE HISTORY OF MUSIC?” he yelled loudly into the crowd. Immediately everyone who was seated jumped up and screamed enthusiastically in reply, which made Derek start in his seat. He stood up in response to everyone else being up. The emcee continued to yell. “THAT’S RIGHT! LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!”

The crowd screamed and immediately both bands began to play in a cacophony of noise that Derek could barely stand. He put his hands over his ears (which had always been very sensitive) and had to remind himself not to run out, that he was there to support Stiles and The Wolf Pack. Eventually the bands began to play back and forth, responding to the crowd’s cheering, and gave him somewhat of a reprise. He enjoyed watching how The Wolf Pack gained confidence over the round, especially Stiles’ enthusiastic battering on the drum set. He looked like he was having the time of his life. His grins were infectious.

At the end of the concert – which, much to Derek’s dismay, lasted about two and a half hours – the emcee once again came out.

“ALRIGHT EVERYONE!” He yelled. “WHO’S THE WINNER? THE WOLF PACK?” He pointed to Stiles band the entire crowd went wild, making the band grin and jump up down. “OR HOUSE OF WINTER?” He pointed to the opposite band and the audience once again whooped enthusiastically. “UH OH,” the emcee laughed. “LOOKS LIKE WE’LL NEED A TIE-BREAKER! ONE MORE SONG GUYS AND GIRLS!”

The bands revved themselves up again and each played a reprise of their best song. Derek, trying to listen objectively, felt that the crowd responded better to The Wolf Pack than House of Winter. The emcee seemed to think so as well, and when he asked the crowd, it was confirmed.

“THE WOLF PACK WINS ROUND ONE!” He announced, and the audience erupted into louder cries than before, celebrating their favorite’s win. Derek grinned and quickly made his exit from the auditorium. He hurried backstage to wait for Stiles, along with apparently everyone else who was watching the battle. He glared and pushed his way through the crowd gathering backstage, each person wanting to get a closer look (or feel) of the potential winners of the Battle of the Bands. When Derek finally emerged from the wave of bodies he stumbled right into Isaac, who pushed him toward Stiles.

“We won Derek!” Stiles shouted excitedly. “I knew we could beat those pretentious kids!” and with absolutely no warning, before Derek could respond, Stiles pulled Derek closer and began to kiss him enthusiastically, much to the dismay of the girls (and other guys) surrounding the winning band. Derek paid the disappointed shouts no heed whatsoever, and wrapped his arms around Stiles, repaying the kiss in kind. He distantly heard Scott whoop, but was far to enthralled with Stiles to pay any attention to anyone else.

If this was the reaction Stiles had to winning, then the band definitely needed to get all the way to the finale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter! Yay! Apologies for how long it's taken me to get it up. Thanks to everyone who has left kudos and comments and enjoys reading this story as much as I love to write it!


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